Active RFPs
OVERVIEW
Whitebark Institute (WBI), a nonprofit organization partnering with the Inyo National Forest (INF), is initiating this Request for Proposals to support the development of wildfire‑resilience projects within the West Mono Basin watershed. The project employs an all‑lands approach to landscape planning; however, the majority of the project area lies within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
The West Mono Basin Project aims to design vegetation‑treatment activities and conduct associated environmental planning to reduce the likelihood of severe wildfires, strengthen community resilience, improve ecosystem health, protect natural and cultural resources, safeguard critical infrastructure, and support long‑term maintenance of fuel‑reduction treatments through the reintroduction of fire to the landscape.
While Potential Operational Delineations (PODs) have been developed for the West Mono Basin watershed, verification of sub‑PODs (the PROJECT) has been identified as a critical next step in advancing project planning. WBI is therefore seeking qualified contractors to assist in completing this essential work.
Responses to this Request for Proposals (RFP) are due no later than 5:00PM (PDT) on April 27, 2026, via email to jackie@whitebarkInstitute.org
OVERVIEW
Whitebark Institute (WBI), a nonprofit organization partnering with the Inyo National Forest (INF), is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors to support the development of wildfire‑resilience projects within the West Mono Basin watershed. This landscape‑scale effort follows an all‑lands approach, though the majority of the project area is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
The West Mono Basin Project aims to design and plan vegetation‑treatment activities that reduce the likelihood of severe wildfire, strengthen community resilience, improve ecosystem health, protect natural and cultural resources, safeguard critical infrastructure, and support the long‑term reintroduction of fire as a maintenance tool. To advance environmental planning and ensure compliance with federal requirements, WBI and INF have identified the need for comprehensive review of existing cultural‑resource data and additional archaeological surveys within the project area.
WBI is therefore seeking qualified firms to assist in these efforts and to provide the technical expertise necessary to support responsible, legally compliant, and culturally informed project planning.
Responses to this Request for Proposals (RFP) are due no later than 5:00PM (PDT) on April 27, 2026, via email to jackie@whitebarkInstitute.org
OVERVIEW
Whitebark Institute (WBI), a nonprofit organization working with regional partners including the Fort Independence Indian Tribe, the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), CAL FIRE, and the Eastern Sierra Council of Governments, is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors to support the development of fuels-reduction projects in Inyo and Mono Counties. This effort focuses on multiple community-adjacent treatment areas across five locations: Fort Independence Indian Reservation, Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Reservation, Bishop, Sunny Slopes, and the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL).
These projects aim to reduce hazardous riparian and upland fuels in and around communities to decrease the likelihood of severe wildfire, strengthen community resilience, and support landscape-scale efforts to improve ecosystem conditions and reduce wildfire risk across priority areas of the Eastern Sierra. Botanical surveys conducted as part of this work will help ensure that planned treatment activities are informed by current resource conditions and aligned with applicable environmental-compliance requirements.
To advance environmental planning and support implementation readiness for these non-commercial fuels-reduction projects, WBI has identified the need for botanical surveys across approximately 297 acres within the project areas. Survey work will be conducted in accordance with the Statewide Fuels Reduction Environmental Protection Plan (EPP) and associated California Department of Fish and Wildlife botanical resource advisories. WBI is therefore seeking qualified contractors to provide technical expertise necessary to complete these surveys and support responsible project development.
Responses to this Request for Proposals (RFP) are due no later than 5:00PM (PDT) on May 8, 2026, via email to jackie@whitebarkInstitute.org